You're My Ace
by ShaleMikale
Summary: [SPOILERS EP 63 AND BEFORE] After a devastating loss, Sawamura isn't himself anymore. What'll it take to bring him back? KuraSawa. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello! This first chapter was REALLY depressing to write. I plan to keep 'em coming fast and furious over the next few days, most likely one every day or every other. The only things limiting the amount I'm writing right now are homework and lack of sleep.

Again, I'm still a new writer, and I'm trying to work on mistakes or little quirks I might be doing without realizing it. Please leave feedback! Any criticism is appreciated.

* * *

A helmeted blond stood over the plate, raising his fist into the air with a grin. Nobody spoke. The world was devoid of sound until the astonished mass in the stands could process what had just occurred. The game was over; Seidou had lost. Half of the crowd erupted into chants and cheers, while the other sat in a grim bewilderment.

The scoreboard showed a final score of 5 to 4, two runs of the former having just occurred in the bottom of the ninth. The winners and losers lined up for the postgame ritual of showing respect.

One sentiment that rang true for the whole Seidou team was not disdain for their conquerors, but a feeling of inadequacy. One hour per day, they thought, one extra hour for a completely different outcome doesn't seem like such a bad idea posthumous of squandering this year's only chance at the National Tournament.

The Seidou high school baseball team exited the stadium with dark clouds manifesting over each player. The third years lowered their baseball caps to hide the shame pooling in their eyes; they weren't good enough. The second years cried openly and without restraint; they messed up their seniors' last chance. The first years, however, had no right to shed a single tear, and they knew it. It's a privilege to be on the starting 20 coming straight from middle school, and to be able to fall back on the excuse of having two more years, a luxury.

One of the three chosen first years, Sawamura Eijun, was still internally fighting a harder battle than the rest in spite of his empty appearance. He was mentally broken. His pitch that struck one of the Inashiro batters knocked the flow of the game on its head. In his mind, he was solely responsible for his beloved team's downfall. To him, he was shouldering all of the blame.

'_Each game has winners and losers, but it had never occurred to me that we could be the ones losing. Didn't we want it more?'_

The team boarded the bus and headed for home. Each attempt at lightening the mood was quickly crushed by the air thick with tension. As they set off, Coach Kataoka stood in the aisle, preparing to address his sullen team.

"You all performed fantastically today; there is no reason not to hold your chin high after fighting so valiantly. I want to let each and every one of you know how proud you have made me this year. To the third years," he paused to look them over before continuing, "Do not look back on your baseball experience at Seidou as a loss because of this one day. Think of it in terms of your overall growth, and your shared years with such a close-knit and supportive team." He took of his hat and placed it over his chest as a sign of respect.

"Thank you"

As he sat down, some members began to grin; others began to well up. Hearing even those few words of sentimentality from such a stern and stoic man was enough to make a few bawl anew in their current, volatile state, but as opposed to tears of sorrow, they were tears of gratitude, happiness, and nostalgia over their time spent on the extraordinary team.

The mood slowly reverted back to deep thought on what happened today, though the coach's speech left a lasting effect. Words of comfort were shared, as well as a few forced chuckles. They weren't going to get over it unless they tried. The only one still visibly scarred by today's performance: Sawamura Eijun.

It was late evening when he sluggishly unloaded off of the bus with the team, the short walk back to the spirit dorms seemed to continue for miles in Sawamura's mind. Each pat on the back, each red, puffy eyed smile he received only served to multiply the scorn he felt inside. He knew they were blaming him; they had to be. The broken pitcher looked to the sky. The sun had begun to fade, its pink and orange wake becoming enveloped by the deep purples of night, dotted with a myriad of stars and constellations. It was especially beautiful right now. Even the sky was mocking him. Somebody deserved celebrating weather, right?

Dinner was eaten in mostly silence, and in relatively low quantities. The festive meal was set up assuming a win on the team's behalf, which put off the appetites of the players knowing what could have been happening at that very moment.

Going back to his room, Miyuki walked alongside Sawamura, noticing the discontent on his face and in his lack of response. If it were someone like Furuya he would understand, due to his usual quiet nature, but this was nothing like the obnoxious, in your face, wannabe ace that everyone hated to love. In an attempt to force a response out of him, he resorted to the one thing Miyuki Kazuya did better catching: taunting.

"Oi, Sawamura, did you even take a bath tonight? You smell like you just came off of the field!" He jested, plugging his nose between his fingers to force a nasal tone to come out of his mouth.

Eijun turned around, making his way towards the baths. Yeah, he had bathed, but he didn't see any point in arguing. Miyuki looked at him concernedly for a moment, but kept on walking, deciding it was best if he left his junior alone. These were going to be a long two days off.

* * *

Kuramochi sat in the baths, submerged completely save for his nose upward, a towel resting on his damp hair. He was always the last one left in here; he made sure of it. _'Nothing beats the post-rush hour bath time, even after such a drag of a day, kyaha'._ He was in the process of blowing bubbles with his mouth when Sawamura entered, and sat in the corner opposite his senior. He was greeted with a disgruntled "Yo" from the other, who was somewhat irritated that his private time was being intruded on. No reply. The shortstop let it slide; he could understand being down after the long day they've had.

The elder of the two was becoming uncomfortable. He'd never seen Sawamura this quiet in the entirety of his knowing him; the kid even snored most nights! Each time he looked up, the same empty look was plastered on his face as he stared at the water. He finally broke the silence, if not for his own benefit.

"You wanna play some video games after we get back? It'll probably take you all night to beat me once, but I'll go easy on ya, kyaha! You might have to give up the controller to Masuko-senpai once or twice, but I'll kick your butt any night this week, you name it!"

Youichi internally kicked himself. That laugh sounded more forced than he intended. He still earned no response from Sawamura. _'Man. He's really out of it, isn't he?' _Sawamura never backed down from a video game challenge, no matter how much the odds were against him. The shortstop sighed.

"You uh… pitched really well today, Sawamura. Better than I've ever seen from you before. Honestly."

This was the truth. On the mound, he was on fire. It was honestly the team's fault for placing the pressure of Nationals on his inexperienced shoulders. One bad pitch snowballed the whole game out of control, but nobody blamed him in the slightest. The brunet's eyes shifted upward, locking with those of his senior to assess the sincerity of his words. He looked back down at the water. At least Kuramochi got something in response, but he wasn't about to play 20 questions with this mute ragdoll in front of him, especially in the nude. He can only be so generous with his patience, after all.

"Tch… have it your way, Bakamura-kun."

Kuramochi rose from the water and stepped out after covering himself. Walking to the doorway, he tripped on the wet tile, dropping his towel and revealing the fair skin of his backside. He yelped and swiftly grabbed the cloth from the ground, re-securing his decency before hurrying to the locker area where his clothes were stored. Before he crossed through the door, he turned and looked towards Sawamura with blush-stained cheeks.

"The offer is still open. Y'know, if you ever wanna play video games and get your butt kicked, or whatever."

He exited the bath house, leaving the first-year to himself. He remained in the water for a while longer before exiting unceremoniously and making his way back to his room where he managed to fall asleep through no small effort, willing the next day to come as soon as possible.

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**A/N: **Thank you for reading! Chapter 2 should be up soon. Reviews are appreciated, and any criticism is welcome!


	2. Determined

_**A/N: **_Chapter 2 is here!

This one is a lot longer than the first chapter, which is why I waited a bit to post it. If the rest are as long as this one, I'd assume a two to three day wait from this point forward. This is already WAY more than I write for any papers I have at college, but I enjoy it a great deal more, too.

Sometimes screws up the formatting for my stories, so sorry if that's the case. I deleted and reposted the chapter a couple times to fix the problems for this one.

* * *

Any criticism is appreciated! Thank you in advance.

_The summer sun is hot on the mound. It's the bottom of the ninth with two outs, and I can feel the eyes of the faceless crowd piercing every fiber of my being— I won't let it get to me. It shouldn't matter either way, because I'm in a better condition than ever before in my life. I've trained day and night for this very opportunity. I can do this. I look around the field to my teammates who give me a nod, sending their spirit my way. 'I'm not alone', I remind myself, 'They can pick up any slack. My seniors are trustworthy'. The field won't let any balls pass. I look Miyuki-senpai in the eyes, and he gives me a thumbs up and a confident smile. I appreciate the attempt to lessen the gravity of the situation, but I know he's feeling just as much pressure as I am. I just have to pitch to his mitt, though, and everything will be fine._

_I see a redhead step into the batter's box; he's their shortstop. I think his name is Shirakawa something-or-other, Miyuki said something about him being on his middle school team. He lifts his bat, and I take a moment to compose myself. Miyuki makes a few gestures with his hand to signify the pitch—he's going to take the reins as usual—and I'm in no position to disagree. He holds the glove to the inside, telling me to do my best throw: the four-seamer. This early? I'm sure I showed a quizzical look on my face, because he nodded to me in reassurance. I have to trust him._

_I turn my body to the left while keeping my eyes locked on the mitt. I wind up my first throw. I can't be overwhelmed. I snap my arm down with all my might. I can't run away here. As I watch the ball fly to the plate, I notice he's standing just at the edge of the batter's box. They're deciding to stay aggressive, yet defeat is staring them in the face. Inashiro's coach must have some guts to push his team into such risky plays. While the ball passes him, the batter doesn't flinch. He watches it break at the plate and go to the catcher without even batting an eyelash._

_"Strike!"_

_That one felt good._

_He's trying to figure out the irregular pattern of my pitch. Does that mean he'll swing next time? It doesn't matter; that's the rest of the field's problem if he hits it. Man, it's hot. I wipe my perspiring brow with my hand and rub the moisture away on my pant leg. As I look up I catch Shirakawa's eyes, and I see nothing but determination and a feral urge to smack my victory out of the air with his bat. He's not human right now. He's starving for the win. I shiver under the pressure and only hear one thought replay within my head:_

_'We could still lose.'_

_Why do you fight so hard? Why don't you just give up? What makes you keep coming so fiercely? You're behind! I lose focus and tune into the erupting crowd._

_"**One more out! One more out! One more out!"**_

_They've been yelling this the whole time. We're one out away from nationals. I can feel the pressure weighing me down slowly. I grip the ball in the same manner as I had done right before on the first pitch. Miyuki is asking for the same thing: A four-seamer to the deep inside of the box. I turn, lift my leg, and in one fluid motion transfer all of the power in my body to my left arm, sending the ball racing to the plate. I can see Shirakawa begin to swing. The ball is off course. It's going too far outside. I don't have control right now. This is it. I start to grit my teeth. I pray. The ball begins to break downward. The demon at the plate makes contact, but only chips the top. The ball manages to reach Miyuki's glove._

_"Strike!"_

_I breathe a sigh of relief as Miyuki returns the ball to the mound. 'More control', I thought, 'Further inside'. Those two phrases are the only things that matter right now. That's what I need to end this game. It's time to pitch again; let's get it over with._

_I grip the ball in the correct position for the pitch._

_'I need more control.'_

_I turn to the left and keep my eyes on the mitt._

_'Throw it further inside.'_

_I lift my leg high. Something feels wrong._

_'More control…'_

_My arm begins its swing. This is bad._

_'Further inside…'_

_The pressure-_

_'More…'_

_I'm crumbling._

_'Further…'_

_The ball leaves my fingertips. I know something's wrong. I feel terror on my face. This rogue ball isn't going anywhere near Miyuki. It's headed straight for the batter—_

_The sound of a ball smashing into hard plastic rings throughout the stadium._

* * *

Sawamura jolted into an upright position in his bed. He would say it was _just_ a nightmare if that were the case, but that wasn't simply a bed fright; the images that haunted his sleep occurred first hand, less than a day ago. He hit that batter, which in turn left an opening—an opening Inashiro High School took. He was then pulled off the field and replaced by the second year Kawakami Norifumi, who was also the fourth man in Seidou's biggest advantage, that unfortunately ended up being the cause of their downfall: the pitcher relay. Kawakami was a competent relief pitcher, but it was too late. The psychological damage was already done to everyone when Eijun was taken off the mound.

Sawamura's body was covered in sweat, and his bed was wet to the touch. A quick glance to the alarm clock read 5:17. Looking around the room, Masuko-senpai and Kuramochi-senpai seemed to be sleeping soundly.

_'How are they so fine after yesterday? Masuko-senpai will never play a baseball game with Seidou again! None of the third years will!'_

This made Sawamura angrily confused. How could he be the only one this upset? As he sat at the edge of his bed, he clenched his fists. There was no way he could get back to sleep now. The brunet changed into a t-shirt and shorts, and slid on his sneakers. He needed to get rid of some pent-up frustration. He exited the room into the dark, humid summer morning. Little did he know, his roommates hadn't slept the entire night; most of the entire team stayed up in deep contemplation. Sawamura's fever dream still granted more sleep than a large majority of his teammates could muster. Masuko's eyes were red and puffy from the tears that trailed down his face and onto his pillow. He and Kuramochi had both heard the first year tossing, turning, and whimpering his sleep.

Arriving at Seidou's baseball diamond, Sawamura first headed for the equipment shed, where he quickly acquired what he was searching for: a tire with a rope attached to it. Tying the rope around his waist, he began to take laps around the edge of the field.

So many times in the past the wannabe ace had woken up early or stayed late to put in extra time running—by now it was a relaxing habit for him. It allowed him time to think. It almost felt like they hadn't lost yesterday. It almost felt like it wasn't his fault. Almost. The first year knew his graduating seniors wouldn't want the team to be disheartened after their departure, but that was part of why he was so frustrated. Why is everybody telling him he pitched well? Why is _he_the one scrutinizing himself the most? Who cares if they made it so far in such a close game if the outcome wasn't in their favor? If anything, that makes it worse. Losing the gold in a race hurts less when you lose by a minute as opposed to a half-second. Sawamura felt as if he would be in a better state of mind if they just acknowledged his fault. Being a first year, he had less to lose than the others the whole time. He has two more years to make it to nationals.

With the tire as his only companion, he ran into the late morning, skipping breakfast. As other members of the team exited their rooms for various reasons, they saw a lonely figure traversing the field, emanating malaise.

* * *

Sawamura returned to his room after spending his morning running. When he opened the door, he saw Masuko-senpai and Kuramochi-senpai in the middle of a conversation. The first thing he noticed when he saw them was the bags under each of their eyes. The next thing that caught his attention was that belongings were being packed away. He inferred the situation. The two turned to him and acknowledged his presence. Eijun had a confused look on his face, and spoke with a somber tone.

"Already? You have to leave the dorm so soon?"

"Well… yeah." Masuko spoke reluctantly and solemnly, slinging a bag over his shoulder and holding another in his hand. He moved towards the door. "I'm leaving this room, but I'll still live in the dorm. I'll come back for more stuff, too, but I need to go home and talk to my parents first. Some of us are doing baseball tryouts for college, so you'll still see us around."

As he turned the doorknob and opened the door, the room was flooded with light. He turned around one last time.

"Kuramochi."

The second year looked up at his senior. Masuko paused and gave a smile.

"Good luck."

He walked out the door and shut it behind him. He hoped the new leaders of the Seidou baseball team didn't screw up as bad as the current third years did.

The room became silent. Kuramochi reflected on what Masuko-senpai said, repeating it again and again in his mind. What felt like an eternity passed before the shortstop spoke up to break the tension.

"Man, the room sure feels small. But there's nothing to rejoice about now. I should go see the other rooms. Wanna come?"

Sawamura hadn't moved a muscle since Masuko left. Kuramochi couldn't tell if he was in deep thought or if he was just that broken. He seemed to be taking it harder than anybody else. He responded monotonously.

"No, I'd rather stay here for a bit."

The elder of the two sighed, _'At least he's talking now, but he's really gonna ruin the mood if he doesn't cheer up soon'._

"You can go home during these next two days off, you know? I'm only here because I don't have anything to do there."

"Me neither…"

Kuramochi grunted and headed for the door. Before he left, he turned and pointed to Sawamura. "Hey! If you're still like this when I get back, you can eat my fist!" He slammed the door behind him, leaving the pitcher to reflect alone. Outside, he stopped and leaned against the wall, talking to himself.

"Damn it. What am I supposed to tell him? I'm not even over it myself!"

He began walking towards Miyuki's room. _'The upperclassmen aren't around anymore. How am I gonna lead the underclassmen like this? It's my responsibility to help the team bounce back now. We can't stand having team morale this low; it especially hurts to see Sawamura this bad.'_

Kuramochi had to admit, as annoying as he could be sometimes, the boisterous brunet really did make his day better. His stupidity was fun to laugh at, and pinning him down to watch him squirm was one of his favorite past times. Beyond all of that, though, his presence in general made the shortstop happier. He always had a can-do attitude, and he definitely found his way into the center of attention wherever he went, even if it did earn him copious amounts of teasing. Sawamura was like the little brother Kuramochi never wanted. Or a puppy. Either way, it was undeniable that he had a soft spot for the boy. He wasn't sure if it was the drastic change in Sawamura's previous attitude compared to how down in the dumps he is now, or if he's just overly sensitive because of the loss yesterday, but Kuramochi knew one thing: he was determined to make Sawamura Eijun happy again.

Youichi knocked on Miyuki's door lightly and waited for a response. He stood for a good minute without even hearing shuffling inside, so he tried again, but this time he pounded the door instead. After an unusually long time considering how small the dorm rooms were, and how quick they were to traverse, Miyuki Kazuya cracked the door, peeking through the opening.

"What is it, Kuramochi? Go away. I don't wanna see your face right now."

He and the shortstop commonly bantered back and forth, throwing light jabs at each other in good fun. It was comforting for Kuramochi to hear Miyuki acting so normal despite the current situation of things.

"Yeah, yeah. Same to you, four-eyes," he replied nonchalantly, though he changed his tone to something more serious for the matter at hand, "But this is pretty important."

The catcher opened the door completely, sighing in the process. "You really know how to deny me sleep, don't you?"

"It's one in the afternoon."

"It's our day off. Doesn't look like you slept too well last night, either."

"Tch, only because Bakamura decided it was a great night to be noisy. The kid must've been doing flips in his bed or something. But…that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." Kuramochi rubbed the back of his head, trying to downplay the situation.

"Look, I'm not interested in Sawamura's bed circus, so just let me go back to sle-"

"Please, Miyuki!" This guy really was despicable. _'It's a good thing he's on our team during games'_, the shortstop thought,_'because he loves to watch people squirm'_. Asking for help was something Kuramochi really detested; he always tried to be the cool, funny guy, and Miyuki knew that. The fact that he was messing with him when he knew that Youichi was being serious really showed his twisted personality. To Miyuki, though, getting Kuramochi worked up was part of his scheme to bring the team back to normal; he was the first step. The catcher needed his help to get the rest of the team's spirits up. He was similar to Sawamura in that he responded easily to taunts and jabs, so he just needed to redirect his irritation into determination. _'Make them forget about the problem by giving them another that's less of a big deal,'_was the philosophy.

"Fine, fine. If I said no now you'd just be hounding me about it later." He gestured for the other to enter, and closed the door behind him. "So, you wanted to talk about Sawamura?"

"Yeah. He's taking the loss harder than the rest of us. He's talking today, but I can tell he doesn't feel any better. He was tossing and turning all last night till he left this morning to go run. I don't want the kid to be this miserable." He laid back onto the floor and put his arms behind his head before continuing, "I know we lost, but I just don't get it. It's not like it's his fault. He pitched out of his mind yesterday!" Miyuki grimaced at the last statement.

"He _thinks_ it's his fault though. Did you see the look on his face after he hit Shirakawa with his pitch?" Kuramochi shook his head in denial.

"It was the face of someone who had just broken under immense pressure. His confidence shattered, and he's still not sure of himself right now. It doesn't matter if he pitched better than he ever has before once he fumbled," Miyuki stated, "because being taken off of the mound after that one mistake while in such a volatile state just exacerbated the severity of the error in Sawamura's head. He thinks that he's the only reason we lost, when in reality, without him we would have never even had a fighting chance in the ninth inning, if we would've even made it to the finals at all. He did crack under the pressure, but he's a first year; it was honestly expected."

"Well then, what do we do?!" Kuramochi retorted in a hushed but desperate voice. Miyuki chuckled. "It's not funny you bastard!"

"Calm down, you hothead; you're getting too worked up." Kuramochi raised his fist to the catcher, threatening him.

"What'd you call me?! I'm not a hothead!" Miyuki just ignored his aggression and continued.

"Just give him some space for a couple hours to let him think it out some more—He may be stupid, but he's got a way of bouncing back. Other than that, just be sensitive. Don't try any new wrestling moves on him for a while. Do him a favor or something."

The shortstop sat and contemplated what the other had just said. He has to do it if he wants the old Sawamura back. He'll be—Kuramochi shuddered at the word—nice to him for a while. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Miyuki's voice.

"Oh, and Kuramochi…"

"What?"

"Since when did you become such a big tsundere? You really do like Sawamura-kun!"

He began to stammer, trying to convince the catcher otherwise. "_**Tsundere?!**_ I _do not_ like Sawamura-kun—I mean Bakamura-kun—I mean Bakamura! I'm just worried because without him we'll only have Furuya and Nori!"

"You do realize that he has until fall to get back on his feet, right? You make it seem a bit too urgent for it to just be _that_." The shortstop tried to think of a rebuttal, but he was empty-handed.

"...Shut up, Miyuki!" Was the only think Kuramochi offered in response before huffing out of his room and slamming the door, as if acknowledging that other had won the argument. He paused and smiled softly. _'Thanks, Miyuki'._

He went around to other rooms of people with similar sad mentalities. The weird thing was, Youichi felt a lot better after talking to that stupid, menacing catcher. He seemed to raise the mood of wherever he went, bringing back bits and pieces of the Seidou baseball team one room at a time.

* * *

It was around 10 in the evening when Kuramochi returned to his room. A slew of questions ran through his head. _'Is Sawamura in there? Is he okay? Is he feeling any better?'_

He turned the knob and opened the door to discover that the lights were off, and Sawamura was just sitting in his bed. Youichi flipped the light switch and looked at his sullen roommate.

"Oi, Sawamura. What're you doing?" He sat in the bed with the younger boy, facing towards him, making sure to mind his head when ducking under the top bunk. Sawamura didn't make eye contact.

"I've just been thinking."

"That's it?! All day-"Kuramochi caught himself, taking a deep breath and reminding himself to be sensitive. "Oh—Uh. Have you left the room at all? Have you eaten?" He received a nod and an "Mhm" in return from the brunet.

"Well that's good at least… I didn't see you at all."

"Sorry."

"No, no, no! Don't be sorry for anything, kyaha! You haven't done anything you need to apologize for! Not yesterday, not today, not ever, kyahaha!" Kuramochi was surprisingly nervous trying to cheer his junior up. _'Why can't I just solve this by putting him in a headlock? That'd be so much easier…'_

"Kuramochi-senpai…"

The shortstop was caught off-guard. "Y-yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Kyahaha! Me? Of course I'm okay! What do you mean?!" He was really bad at playing off his nervousness. He was blushing.

"You're just acting weird." This earned a sigh in response from the second year. He internally slapped himself. _'You got that right.'_

"Who, me?! N-no… I mean..." Kuramochi couldn't deny it. "Yeah. Sorry. You've just been so down that I didn't want to make it worse by poking fun at you or something. We're all sad after yesterday, and I know you're taking it hard, and—"

"Kuramochi-senpai?"

"What is it?"

"I wanna take you up on your offer." He was already off the bed and holding out a controller for the elder of the two to use. It took a second for the shortstop to understand what he meant, but when he remembered the previous night he grinned and laughed. "Are you sure? Don't think I'll go easy on you!"

He repositioned himself onto the floor next to Sawamura. He was irritated that the pitcher had kept the title of player 1 for himself—it wasn't even Sawamura's system! Thinking about it, though, it wasn't a big deal to the shortstop.

_'I guess I'll let it slide this time, Bakamura.'_

While Sawamura picked out the game, as permitted by his senior, Youichi thought about how weird the situation was. _'I'm supposed to be the one cheering him up, aren't I? But he doesn't look too down compared to earlier. I just made a fool of myself in front of him, and he doesn't seem to mind. __Honestly—I don't really mind either.'_

The two played together late into the night. Kuramochi thought he may have been imagining it, but he swore he saw Sawamura smile at least once over the course of their gaming. He himself definitely had a good time. After a certain point, the younger of the two asked if he could just watch, most likely because he had only beaten Kuramochi a handful of times. He set his controller down and laid on his stomach, resting his head on his hands so he could watch the television. His second year counterpart obliged the request, and played a variety games alone, trying to show off his skill with the other watching, or so he thought. At some point he looked over and Eijun was sleeping. When he noticed, he quietly turned off the console. He then padded over to the lights, flipping the switch and leaving the room dark. The only light came from the faint blue glow of the television screen, which he needed to navigate through the room without stepping on the sleeping entity on the floor. He grabbed a blanket off of the Sawamura's bed, and one from his own, then returned to the middle of the room. He covered Sawamura in his blanket, stopping for a moment to focus on the younger boy's face.

_'You don't look so annoying while you're sleeping, at least. Hell, you even look a little… cute.'_

He turned off the TV and made his way next to Sawamura's motionless body. He laid down close enough to feel his breath as the boy exhaled deeply. As he began to cover himself with the second blanket he took, Sawamura shivered.

_'It is a little chilly down here.'_

Youichi sighed and put his own blanket on top of the sleeping pitcher before sliding under both blankets himself. Right when he thought all was well, Sawamura's arm reached out and over his shoulder, forcing him to move closer. Kuramochi's first reaction was to pull back, but he just smiled and put his own arm over the first year as well before closing his own eyes, feeling warmer than he'd ever remembered being for a long time.

_'He's probably just cold.'_

* * *

_**A/N : **_I love toying with the idea that, after you find his weak point (which is apparently Sawamura, haha), Kuramochi is just a nervous ball of awkward. He totally fits the classic tsundere.

I really wish the fluff part of the chapter was longer and more in detail, but I really wanted to have a chapter 2 before I went to sleep tonight. I still think it's cute at the very least, and more is coming in larger amounts later.

Please leave comments if you feel so inclined, and expect chapter 3 within the next few days!


	3. Date Night

**A/N: **Chapter 3!

This chapter is completely between Sawamura and Kuramochi. Partially because I thought the story needed it, and partially because I wrote this one with no particular direction other than an endpoint, and this is how it turned out.

Enjoy! Reviews and criticisms are appreciated!

* * *

Kuramochi woke up to something tickling his nose. He was too tired to open his eyes, so he just tried to lift his arm to remove the bother that cut his sleep short, but discovered that he was unable. The second year begrudgingly lifted his eyelids with a low groan to inspect the problem. What he saw was enough to shake him right out of his post-slumber grogginess: He was holding Sawamura Eijun in his arms. Kuramochi's nose was buried his hair.

They were cuddling on the floor. Why were they cuddling? Kuramochi tried to untangle himself from the unconscious brunet, but to no avail. Sawamura was laying on his right arm, and his arms were wrapped around his senpai as well, preventing escape unless he woke the pitcher up. He felt his stomach growl. He was hungry; he was _really_ hungry.

Should he wake him up? That'd be rude, and he knew that Sawamura didn't get much sleep the night before, so he decided to just grin and bear it. Maybe try to go back to sleep in the meantime to forget about the hunger that was attacking his insides.

The famished shortstop noticed a big box of Sawamura's candy cached underneath the pair's bunk bed. He never looked down there. His little sneak of a roommate must have hidden it without the intention of sharing. He turned to glare at the sleeping Sawamura and gritted his teeth.

'_You bastard… I'll have to get you for that later. But for now, you might have just saved me.'_

He reached desperately with his free arm, but it was no use; salvation was just out of his grasp. The trapped teen's fingers clawed at the ground, willing the box to come closer. It didn't have any effect. After struggling valiantly, and with his stomach reminding him of its discontent, he sighed and accepted his fate. _'This is how it ends,'_ Kuramochi thought dramatically, _'I'm gonna starve to death while cuddling with Sawamura.'_

But wait— all was not lost. Taking a final survey of the room, and saying goodbye to his possessions one by one, hope appeared on the horizon. A wire coat hanger which had sunken into the carpet, all but disappearing, came into Kuramochi's vision. This was just what he needed to attain satisfaction. He grabbed it by the hook and brought closer to his face, examining the thin metal wire. _'This should do the trick,' _he thought. The desperate second year uncoiled the hanger by holding it steady with his mouth, and twisting it with his free left hand.

The moment of truth was upon him. Kuramochi reached his arm out, using the now straight coat hanger as an extension of himself. He easily reached his goal, but bringing the object to him was another story when all the shortstop could do was push it side to side or back. To solve this, he retracted his arm and bent the hanger in the middle at a 90 degree angle. This way he could hook the metal wire behind the box and drag it towards himself.

Feeling triumphant, Kuramochi repeated the same process as before, but this time was able to make some progress. He savored the moment of his victory, patting himself on the back for his determination and ingenuity in this _oh-so-strenuous_ situation. He sighed a sigh of relief. _'Man, I thought I was a goner.' _

Having brought the goods to himself, Kuramochi unfolded the paper flaps on the top of the box and pulled out a choco-pie, wrapped in plastic. He gripped the corner between his teeth, and the middle of the package with his hand and tore through the last barrier between himself and filling his stomach. He ate ravenously, crumbs flying. He ate a couple more, considering it an "inconvenience tax" on the sleeping boy, who was blissfully unaware of the trials and tribulations of his senior.

The shortstop's hunger was sated. He was content for now—or he would be if there wasn't another issue at hand:

'_Come to think of it, how did I end up with him latched onto me?' _

Sawamura was still holding on to Kuramochi, and to be honest, he really didn't mind. The boy must have moved closer while he slept, and Youichi reciprocated the action subconsciously. It wasn't so weird to crave contact with another body. He laid back in the position he woke up in, embracing Sawamura once more. This was the least he could do for him, he thought. He would still be traumatized too if he had cracked under the pressure in the final game before nationals as a first year. All considered, the other was handling it rather well.

Kuramochi's thoughts went to the previous night. He had fun, and Sawamura seemed to have been doing better himself. Maybe Miyuki was right. The pitcher just needed some support. A couple more days and he'd be back and determined to move past it. Being concerned about the boy in front of him helped take Kuramochi's mind off of his own shortcomings in the final game, too. Sure the loss sucked, but it was his job as his senior, and his friend, to make sure Sawamura wasn't dealing with the issue alone. And honestly, the shortstop didn't want to deal with the grief that came with the losing alone, either. Was what he was doing for Sawamura's benefit or his own? Was it for their mutual gain?

He thought about the concept of the word "alone". It was a weird word. Everyone feared being alone, but everyone's definition of it was different. Some just want others to be around, friends and family or something like that—Kuramochi wasn't alone in that sense. His teammates were always around him; he was thankful for that. He always had someone to talk to and joke around with. Others want people to be there for them on an emotional level. Did Kuramochi have that? Did he even _want _that? It was hard to tell. Miyuki would listen to him if something came up, but for the most part the second year kept things to himself—he just wasn't that emotional of a guy, or so he thought. Then there were people who would never be satisfied unless they were with someone on a relationship level. Just the status of having a boyfriend/girlfriend was enough for some people. The shortstop was alone in that sense. Kuramochi had been in a relationship before, but in the end he felt they were meaningless. He'd never felt enough for the other person to care on that level. Did he want someone like that? Sure. But how do you know when you feel that way for someone? Where does it start? Maybe he's had what others would consider a relationship with someone and he didn't know because he'd never felt it before. Maybe it was staring him in the face.

"Kuramochi-senpai!"

He was startled away from his thoughts by a booming voice in his ear. Sawamura was awake. The voice was immediately followed by a hand lightly pressuring his chest, signaling that the brunet wanted to be released. Kuramochi obliged and let the other boy go.

"You asshole! You ate some of my snacks!" He crawled over his senior to sit cross-legged next to his box of food, mourning the loss of his valuable goods and counting the casualties. He grabbed the three wrappers that Kuramochi had haphazardly discarded behind himself and threw them one by one at his face. The pitcher tossed them with what looked like an inordinate amount of force for how slowly and goofily they traveled through the air only to tap the older boy. That struck a nerve.

"Listen here, Bakamura! I only ate your food because I woke up and you had me in a death-grip while I was starving! You had no idea what I went through to get to that box out from underneath the bed from all the way in the middle of the room!" His stern tone made Sawamura's expression change from one of irritation to one that was more forlorn.

"If you weren't okay with it you could have just woke me up and told me. Sorry…"

"Sawamura, it's not—I didn't mean it like that. Don't be sorry." Kuramochi kicked himself internally. _'Way to go, Youichi. Here he was, acting all normal again, and you screwed it up.' _He continued his explanation, treading lightly. Who knows what state of mind Sawamura was in right then?

"I didn't mean that I wasn't okay with… with cuddling with you last night," the shortstop's cheeks grew red just saying the word. It wasn't necessarily part of his regular vocabulary. "I just didn't wanna wake you up. Since you didn't sleep so well after the game I thought you needed as much rest as you could get. I'll even take you out and get you some food sometime if that's what you're upset about." Sawamura sighed and averted his gaze downward. He responded timidly.

"I'm not upset." He looked up into the other's eyes with a slight smile, "But I'd be willing to go get dinner later today if that's still okay with you." Wait. What?

Kuramochi was flabbergasted. Sawamura thought he just asked him on a date! He thought back to his word choice— he _did_ ask Sawamura on a date! The shortstop just intended for them to go to the store and buy him replacement food, not a meal at a restaurant! He quickly picked up his jaw and considered his options.

'_If I tell him no now it'll just bum him out more. If I say yes then we'll be going on a date! Not to mention my poor, poor wallet...' _Images of his empty wallet crying filled his head. Kuramochi had yet to receive the monthly allowance his parents allotted him at Seidou, so this dinner likely wouldn't leave him with much left. '_Sawamura thought I meant a date. And he said yes?!' _Kuramochi considered the promise he made to himself the day before. '_But I can't turn back now; I'll just have to do it.'_

The brunet waved a hand in front of his senpai's face, "Hello? Kuramochi-senpai? I asked what you wanted to eat."

"Oh—uhh. Of course that's okay; I mean, I offered, kyaha!" His voice always got higher when he was nervous. And he laughed more. A lot. This was no exception. "Any place you choose is okay by me, kyahaha!"

"Really?! In that case, there's a _really_ good ramen place that's only a couple stops away from the nearest metro station in Tokyo. It's a little hole in the wall, but I've never had better ramen in my life!"

"Alright, kyaha! Does—uh. Does six work for you?" Sawamura beamed at the shortstop and nodded to affirm his question.

'_Dammit. He looks genuinely happy… He really wants to go on a date with me.' _Kuramochi gave a smile back, but he had to force it. He was anxious and confused.

* * *

It was nearly 6 o'clock. Kuramochi made his way back to his room from the baths, drying his hair with a towel as he walked. He had spent the hours preceding the night out (The shortstop refused to call it a date. The term stressed him out and made him feel weird) with Miyuki and a few of the other second years, trying to relax and playing some video games. He didn't mention anything about Sawamura to the catcher to avoid having info about his date spread throughout the team. He was going to handle this one on his own. Kuramochi himself could deal with some teasing, but he didn't want them making fun of the pitcher, even out of the first year's earshot.

Kuramochi found himself alone in the room, to his relief. He quickly changed after locking the door to avoid Sawamura walking in on him, tossing his other clothes on the floor with the intention of picking them up later. He pulled out the top drawer on his dresser and retrieved a small glass bottle of cologne. He pulled off the cap and looked at the fragrant liquid hesitantly. Should he? Does the situation warrant it? Hearing the doorknob rattle, he decided it wasn't a big deal and sprayed some on himself, then hastily put the bottle back in his drawer.

The brunet opened the door after fiddling with the lock. Kuramochi offered him a "Yo" and looked the first year over. He looked good; he was dressed in a short-sleeve button up shirt and khaki pants, while Kuramochi himself was only dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. The shortstop wished he could change into something different to match the effort of his counterpart, but Sawamura didn't seem to care.

"You look nice, Kuramochi-kun."

He was taken aback by his use of '-kun' as opposed to '-senpai', but thinking about it, it'd be weird if someone was so formal with a date.

"Same to you. Are you ready to go?" Sawamura nodded with a grin. He followed the second year out the door, shutting it behind himself. They conversed about miscellaneous topics on the way to the metro station nearest to Seidou; The weather and schoolwork and the like. Kuramochi felt awkward. What was appropriate for date-talk? He was sure there'd be more to bring up in the city, but for now he had nothing. He breathed a sigh of relief when they descended into the subway.

"Where are we going, by the way?"

"You'll see when we get there," the brunet responded, "It's only a couple stops away from here, though". Sawamura motioned for Kuramochi to wait, and ran off to the ticket booth, returning with two metro passes.

The shortstop took his and read the details on it. It was good to go anywhere in Tokyo for the rest of the night. "Are you sure you don't want me to pay for these? It's not a problem." Sawamura shook his head.

"No, it's fine. It's the least I can do, as long as you pay for dinner. That's what we agreed on, right?" He chuckled and began walking towards the platform, where he put his ticket into the turnstile and walked through, receiving it on the other side. Kuramochi followed suit.

They boarded the train as it arrived, being some of the only people on board. Sawamura pointed on the map of the stations where they would get off. The second year was unfamiliar with the spot, but then again there were so many places he hadn't been in Tokyo that it wasn't much of a surprise. The pair sat in silence for most of the journey, staring out the window of the train watching the dimly lit tunnel rapidly pass by. They arrived at their stop, getting off and leaving the station into the hot air of the summer evening. The streets were still heavily crowded by pedestrians and cars alike.

"C'mon, Kuramochi! It's this way!" Sawamura grabbed his hand and began pulling him at a fast walk, skillfully weaving through the crowd. The older boy felt a bit awkward holding hands in public, but he just told himself it was so they wouldn't become separated since the area was foreign to him. Besides, everybody else was minding their own business, and he didn't know anybody here. So what if they were holding hands? He reassured himself and strengthened his own grip, matching Sawamura's. After a short walk, the brunet loosened his hold on Kuramochi and stopped, gesturing with his other arm towards the generic sign above their heads which simply read 'RAMEN'. The shortstop wasn't impressed.

'_It sure doesn't look too special. It doesn't even have a name'. _Kuramochi must have shown his skepticism on his face, because Sawamura nudged the older boy as he began pulling him inside.

"Oh come on, Kuramochi-kun. I told you it's the best stuff I've ever had in my life! Just give it a try". He gave a sigh in response, and followed the other into the restaurant. They sat in a small booth in the corner, and were quickly greeted by a young waitress who offered the two menus and left them to make their decision.

"What're you gonna get, Kuramochi-kun?"

"I don't know… There's too many choices". He looked intensely at each page of the menu, reading types of ramen he didn't even knew existed. As he looked up, he saw the brunet looking back at him curiously, with his menu pushed to the side.

"Tch. What're you staring at me for? You haven't even looked at the menu yet!" Sawamura shrugged and responded as-a-matter-of-factly.

"I already know what I want. I get the same thing every time I come here."

"Any help for a beginner here, then? I'm completely lost."

The pitcher grabbed his menu and laid it flat on the table in a manner so that they could both read it, and pointed at the various options, explaining the intricacies of ramen like an expert. Kuramochi got lost somewhere in there, and began staring at the boy in front of him. He looked nothing like he did the last two days. He looked fine; he looked normal. In this moment the shortstop began to notice how attractive Sawamura really was when he wasn't so down in the dumps. His brown hair was wild and unruly, but it looked perfectly sculpted. His face was practically flawless. His skin was perfectly tanned. The biggest change about him, though, was his eyes. After the loss to Inashiro, they looked empty and glazed over. Before, and even now, as he explained something as trivial as ramen, those yellow eyes contained an inexplicable light that gave him an aura of confidence. An aura that made you want to be around him. Shaking himself out of his dazed musings about the first year, Kuramochi noticed he was still going on about ramen. He hadn't heard most of the speech, so he wouldn't make the brunet go on any longer.

"…and so if you get this type of ramen, then that means there's a lot of extra-"

"I think I'll just get what you're having. All the options are making it hard to choose." Sawamura chuckled and gave him a thumbs up.

"Good choice! I'm glad you recognize my impeccable taste!"

"Well you _do_ seem to have a lot of experience with ramen, judging from your speech."

The waitress came and took their orders, which left the two waiting for their meals. After the food arrived, the two began to eat slowly, enjoying the time together. Kuramochi found it surprisingly easy to talk to Sawamura face-to-face. They discussed their families and friends from home, the food (Which the shortstop found surprisingly delicious), and video games. The older boy was having a good time, even when Sawamura stole ramen from his bowl, when the pitcher had more than half of his own left, with the excuse of "It looked better". Kuramochi footed the bill, and the two left satisfied with the food and with their date. They had spent more time than they had expected in the restaurant. It was around 10 o'clock.

"Well, what now?" Kuramochi looked at the brunet, "Are we going back, or do you have something else in mind?"

"Actually, there's one more place I want to go if that's okay. Follow me."

The two walked side by side on the now substantially less crowded streets. It was dark out, and the city had lit up, flashing lights everywhere. They walked for a while, joking around when Sawamura detoured into a park, lit only by the occasional lamp. As he stopped, Kuramochi knew why he brought him here: it was beautiful. Sawamura motioned to a small lake, with what had to be hundreds of candles on tiny rafts floating freely on the still, motionless water. Kuramochi had never seen anything like it.

"Pretty, huh?"

"Yeah…"

The two rested their elbows on a railing overlooking the water, standing and watching the positions of the candles change as they floated. Cicadas sang in the background, filling the quiet air. Sawamura spoke.

"I had a good time tonight." He scooted towards Kuramochi, making their arms touch. The older boy didn't mind.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I did too."

The two sat without speaking for what felt like an eternity to the two, but was actually only a few minutes. It wasn't an awkward silence, though. Both boys were deep in thought, about the other and about the night as a whole. Sawamura was again the first one to break the silence.

"Kuramochi-kun?" As he turned to address the boy's question, what happened next shocked the shortstop:

Sawamura kissed him.

Kuramochi pulled back out of surprise, looking at the other with disbelief. Sawamura remained in the same position, slowly opening his eyes to see his senior not planning to return the favor. His cheeks began burning red and his eyes began watering. He looked like a deer in the headlights. He couldn't stay here; he had to get away from this embarrassment.

Kuramochi was too shocked to say anything. All he could do was watch the boy turn and run in the other direction. By the time he had opened his mouth to shout the other's name, he was gone.

'_What did I just do?' _The confused second year asked himself. _'What do I do now?'_ Kuramochi began hurrying back to the metro station, hoping to meet up with Sawamura on the way back. The only problem was that he didn't know this area. He was slow to navigate, and took way longer than he had hoped just to return to his starting point. Tears began welling up in his eyes as he boarded the train back. He sat down and contemplated on what had gone wrong.

Sawamura had kissed him. He didn't kiss back. Actually, it was worse than that—he pulled away. He had probably just crushed Sawamura. Why didn't he kiss back? It was because he didn't like him like that, right? But he had a great time that night. Sawamura was fun to be around. They had slept basically tied to each other the previous night; so why was kissing the boy something he couldn't do? It was just two peoples' lips touching. Deep inside, Kuramochi felt pulling away was a mistake. These past two days, all he could think about was Sawamura. He got off the subway train and hurriedly ran back to Seidou, hoping that's the first place Sawamura went as well.

Puffy eyed and red in the face, Kuramochi inserted his key into the door. He twisted the knob and was greeted by a dark room. He turned the lights on to see Sawamura sitting on his bed, head in his hands. He approached the boy and stood in front of him.

"Sawamura…"

The brunet seemed surprised by his voice, as if he didn't hear him come in. He stood up and looked Kuramochi in the eyes before averting his gaze back to the floor.

"K-Kuramochi-senpai… I shouldn't have—I didn't mean to—"His words were cut short by a hand on his chin, forcing him to look up.

Kuramochi kissed him back.

Sawamura was confused, but let the other boy be in control. He was guided back onto his bed and laid on his back, not breaking contact with the shortstop as he was straddled.

'_Kuramochi-senpai's lips are so soft, and he's being so gentle.'_

The pitcher ran his hand through the other's hair, then down his spine where it came to rest at the small of his back.

He finally pulled away for air and looked at Kuramochi with an expression of confusion.

"Why?"

"When you kissed me you caught me off guard. If you had waited around, I would have kissed you back earlier, but you ran off." Kuramochi smiled and pecked him on the lips again.

"Sorry…"

"How many times have I told you not to say you're sorry? As long as it's resolved, it doesn't matter."

"Sor—er… Okay."

The two remained in bed with one another, swapping kisses back and forth, exploring the others' mouths hungrily until they could agree to postpone continuing until the next morning. They changed into their pajamas and crawled into Sawamura's bed again, having a small argument over who had to be the little spoon. Kuramochi eventually came out on top, wrapping his arms around the pouty brunet in front of him. The first year fell asleep quickly, followed soon after by his senior who hoped that the boy in his arms could be this normal on the diamond at practice the next day.

* * *

**A/N: **The end of this one felt a little rushed, to be honest. Going back and reading it, though, I don't know how to change it without altering a majority of the chapter.

I think there'll probably be one or two more chapters until this is over. I've already got other ideas for other fics that I want to try to write. If I get ideas for this one as I write I may make it longer, but that's how it stands at the moment.

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you feel so inclined!


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